Police arrest pair following heists

Winnipeg police have arrested two men related to a series of heists in which victims were targeted for cash during the winter.

In the first case, several suspects targeted a 46-year-old man behind the wheel as he parked in a garage in the 300 block of McAdam Avenue in the North End on Feb. 10. The man was forced to drive to a nearby credit union and withdraw an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspects let him go unharmed but they took off in his car.

The next incident followed the same pattern, only this time, it was a 22-year-old man in a garage at Portage Avenue and Young Street on March 17 who was held up. The outcome was different.

The motorist confronted the suspects and took off with one suspect in the car, which later crashed. The victim and suspects fled the scene on foot.

In the third case, suspects responded to an online ad for a smartphone and when they met for the transaction, they confronted their victim and her two small children in a car in the 700 block of Flora Avenue.

They robbed her of an undisclosed amount of cash.

It was the online factor that gave police the break they were looking for: A cyclist recognized his stolen bike for sale online and called police, who followed up and made the link between the online ads for the bike and smartphone.

On April 20, Winnipeg police arrested Derrick Duff, 25, and on April 26, they arrested Dalton Roussin, 19. Both suspects face a number of charges related to the incidents. They are in custody at the remand centre.